Representative wants cockfighting to be part of Philippine cultural heritage

According to a letter posted on the House of Representatives web site, Rep. Rodolfo Plaza of Lone District, Agusan del Sur, has officially filed a measure with National Commission for Culture and Arts and the National Historical Institute to declare cockfighting a part of “intangible Philippine cultural heritage”.

Plaza goes on to say, “Intangible cultural heritage includes practices, representations expressions and skills, as well as the objects, instruments and artifacts that communities, groups and individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.”

In the Philippines, Presidential Decree No. 449, “the cockfighting law”, recognizes that cockfighting is a vehicle for the preservation and perpetuation of native Filipino heritage that enhances national identity, as Plaza points out.

Cockfighting in the Philippines is considered terribly bloody and brutal to many foreigners, but it is a huge gambling pastime there.

Cockfighting is legal in the Philippines and Mexico. Matches also can be found in Ireland, Colombia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico.